Challenge Book
by Once Upon a Whispered Song
Summary: This is where I will post my Warriors challenges from various Clans and friends. Rated T to be safe.
1. WingClan Challenge - Drabble

Greystripe's yellow eyes danced with sorrow as it searched the riverbank across the tumbling waters. He knew that he'd never see his love, his mate, the mother of his kits, swim across it to meet him again. A fresh wave of pain rolled over him, and he turned away, closing his eyes against the memories. But shutting out your thoughts and emotions is impossible, so his mind continued to be haunted by the images of Silverstream's still body on the rocks. _I'll never forget you, my love._ He blinked his eyes open once again. _I promise._


	2. A Butterfly's Blessing

_**A/N;; This is another challenge for WingClan. The prompt was as follows ~**_

_**It must include romance.**__**It must include death.**__**And a butterfly.**_

_**I needed a minimum of 550 words, the total was 816.**_

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><p>The pale she-cat lay at her mate - Snowtail's - side, watching his chest rise and fall through painful breaths, cut short and ragged by the bout of blackcough that was gradually taking his life, draining it with every breath.<p>

His death was inevitable.

She knew she shouldn't be there, next to him as he broke into coughing fits, spreading his disease to her, but she couldn't leave him. Love does that to a cat. It leaves them weak, vulnerable and fragile. But it also gives them strength, and it was using this strength that she managed to stay by his side, ignore anyone who protested against it and not break down.

"Honeyfrost," His murmur broke her string of thoughts, and she turned her head to watching him as he spoke. "I don't want to die here, closed -" His sentence ended with another coughing fit, but he shook it off. "I can't die closed up. I don't want to die not seeing the stars."

The she-cat looked torn. Bringing him into the open would kill him for sure. He wouldn't be able to stay out for long. The certainty behind his words, the certainty that he would die tonight anyway, broke her heart. Yet she couldn't deny him his dying wish. She couldn't. So, with a nod, she slipped her shoulder under his and pushed them both to their paws.

For a moment, he was still. So still that a cold wave of fear flooded Honeyfrost's heart - had she killed him just by bringing him to a stand? - but then a ragged breath passed through his lungs and she relaxed once more.

Together, they made their way out of camp and through the forest. It was a slow and painful time for them both, but they persevered, using each other's love to fuel their journey. The stars twinkled overhead in the inky black sky, as if waving farewell. They stopped after what felt like forever, both sitting down on the moor. The horizon was growing lighter, and the look in Snowtail's eyes said that he thought it would be the last time he saw a sunrise.

But the night was still dark, so the two cats settled side by side, pale pelts brushing. They sat in a silence, not comforting, but painful. There were no words Honeyfrost could speak, nothing to say, nothing to describe the sensation of her heart being ripped apart with every breath her mate took. Every breath that was weaker than the one before it. Instead it was Snowtail who broke the silence.

"Promise me that you won't deny yourself the right to fall in love again." Those words were the last Honeyfrost expected to hear. "You should let yourself grieve, but don't be afraid to move on. Do anything that will make you happy." He gave her ear a lick before starting to cough once more. "Promise me." He repeated, and Honeyfrost nodded.

"I promise." She murmured into his fur, voice cracking. She couldn't reassure him that he would survive this another day, he would know that was a lie. And the light in his eyes, milky with sickness, told her that he didn't want to live through the pain anymore, no matter how much it would break his heart to leave her.

He nodded and closed his eyes, taking a shaky breath, exhaling a moment later. He was leaning heavily against her, as if he could no longer support his own weight. "Good." He mewed, his voice growing weaker, as was his life. He took another shaky breath. In. Out. In. Out. The rhythm, however uneven, brought Honeyfrost comfort. The love of her life was still alive, if only for another moment.

Then, hitting her like a blow with unsheathed claws, there was only silence. "Snowtail!" She yowled as he sagged to the ground.

"I love you, never forget that. Goodbye." He whispered, closing his eyes for the last time. He took a deep breath, as if memorizing the sensation, then he was still, his last breath still lodged in his lungs.

"I love you, too." Honeyfrost told him frantically. "I always will." Her tone was distressed, as if her words could bring him back, but, of course, he lay just as still as before. "Forever." She murmured finally, her voice barely holding.

She lay with him for the rest of the sunrise, barely keeping her emotions in check. When morning came and she was forced to return to her Clan to tell them of Snowtail's death, she glanced over her shoulder to see a large silver butterfly brush it's wings across her mate's forehead, almost as if it were blessing him. _Thank you. _Honeyfrost sent the thought to StarClan, hoping with all she was that Snowtail heard her. _For everything._


	3. What if Silverstream Survived Kitting?

**A/N;; This is yet another challenge for WingClan. The requirements: Must be a _What if? _fic, and it must be over 700 words. Total words, 1520.**

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><p>Silverstream was pressed against the earth walls of her prison, her tail curled protectively around her two kits. The two were apprentices, but in that moment she acted as if they were young kits once again, and both Stormpaw and Featherpaw seemed to welcome the comfort she offered them. Stonefur and his sister Mistyfoot, who was also her best friend inside the Clan, were conversing quietly in another corner. The pale tabby pricked her ears to try to catch onto what they were saying, but the loud yowls from above blocked out what little she would otherwise have been able to hear.<p>

For the first time since they'd met, Silverstream was relieved that Greystripe was a ThunderClan cat. She might be able to survive the heartbreak of whatever was to come knowing that the love of her life was still alive, safe and with his Clan.

She and he had met when she saved his life, then at a gathering, and after that, almost every night for several moons. Any kind of romantic relationship between them was forbidden, but love is too strong of a force to be stopped simply by rules or willpower. They told each other every night that it couldn't go on, but after a moon they gave up. A few moons later, Silverstream found out that she was pregnant with Greystripe's kits. The birth had almost killed her. Now that all of the other cats in all four Clans knew of their relationship, she hadn't seen him since the birth of her kits, seasons earlier, other than when they ran into each other during patrols, accompanied by other warriors. The hole in her heart ached with sorrow, but she still loved him. Nothing she did could change that.

Still, sometimes she couldn't help but wish that she'd fallen for someone from her own Clan - Stonefur or Blackclaw maybe. But no. It had to be Greystripe, who was always going to unintentionally break her heart.

Silverstream was jerked from her thoughts as a dark cat descended into the murky den. "Tigerstar wants to see you." The tom spat, nodding to her, Stonefur, and her two kits. She rose, fur brushed out, glancing over at her deputy and then down at her kits. What could that piece of fox-dung want with her and her kits? She clenched her jaw in defiance, but with a gentle push she led her kits out, walking behind Stonefur.

When they walked through the reeds and out into the clearing, jeering faces and insults were thrown into their faces, but it only made her raise her head higher. _Show no weakness. _She told herself as she met the gaze of every RiverClan warrior who had betrayed her. Every cat who she thought was her friend, who she thought she could depend on, every Clanmate who'd treated her like family. Her gaze burned with pain, rage and determination, and she directed it towards those who'd been close to her.

After a few moments of this silent display of emotions and the sneers of her Clanmates, Tigerstar finally spoke, flicking his tail for silence. "We are surrounded by enemies, cats that want to harm us, claim our territories. We face hardships too, the cold of leaf-bare, two-legs. We must be able to trust our own Clanmates, that's the only way we'll be able to last through every obstacle. We have no room in TigerClan for anyone who might hesitate in battle, or worse, turn on us. TigerClan do not tolerate traitors!" He announced. "We will especially not tolerate half-Clan cats. No one loyal would ever break the code and take a mate from another Clan. No one loyal would dilute our pure heritage. Both Silverstream," he paused to throw the most hate-filled glare Silverstream had ever seen in the direction of her and her kits, who shuffled closer to her. "And Bluestar of ThunderClan have done the unspeakable and done just that. Kits with such parentage can _never _be trusted!"

The TigerClan cats raised their voices in a chant of insults, the wave seemed powerful enough to throw Silverstream back, but she stood her ground, Stonefur at her side and her kits flattened to the ground at their paws. She was sure the sun had moved across the sky by the time it died down.

"The Clans have tolerated half-Clan cats for far too long, but that time has passed. Now, we must rid ourselves of these abominations. Together, we will purify this Clan, then the forest!" He stood triumphant, his gaze burning in a way that suggested he actually believed what he was saying.

"Hang on!" Stonefur demanded, his tail flicking in irritation and anxiety. "No one has questioned our loyalty before. We didn't even know Bluestar was our mother until a few moons ago. I and my sister have been loyal to RiverClan for our entire lives." He continued, then looked around the crowd as if challenging them to disagree.

Tigerstar dipped his head, to Silverstream's surprise. "And that, Stonefur, is why I'm offering you a chance to prove your loyalty. You have been a loyal deputy to Leopardstar so far, prove that you can continue to be one." He gestured to Silverstream and her kits. "Kill them." He said it with such calm composure that Silverstream worried if he even cared. Did he have no sense of right and wrong? Was he really ordering a warrior to kill in cold blood?

She turned to Stonefur, searching his gaze for any sign that she'd have to fight him. His jaw clenched, then he turned to Leopardstar, his expression questioning.

Leopardstar wavered, her eyes reflecting her uncertainty. Then, with a dip of her head she nodded. "Do as he says."

"I'd rather die." The tom growled, and Tigerstar shrugged.

"As you wish." He flicked his tail and nodded to Darkstripe, who leapt into the center of the clearing so that he stood face to face with Stonefur. Silverstream pressed her kits back, then leapt to stand beside him. Waves of dread flowed fromhe kits, and she was sure it was coming from her ownpelt, too, because Darkstripe sneered at her, before leaping for Stonefur. The tom had lost weight and health over this last moon, but he'd lost none of his skill. He rolled back, avoiding the blow. In a split second decision, Silverstream leapt over him in mid roll, landing where he would have been a few moments later, squarely on top of Darkstripe's shoulders. It was a mistake. He threw her off easily, advancing on Stonefur who matched him blow for blow.

As she turned to rush to his eyes she caught a glimpse of the look in Tigerstar's eyes. If looks could kill, the clearing would be littered with cats. He turned to speak to the cat sitting on his right, but Silverstream didn't have time to register what he said, she didn't realize what was happening until a huge weight was on top of her.

She attempted to roll the weight from her shoulders, but only succeeded in ripping a wound using someone else's claws. She finally managed to free herself from the burden, and twisted around to face Blackfoot. She'd faught him in battle before, he was a skilled and strong fighter. Silverstream knew she wasn't strong enough to beat him, but maybe she could save her kits. With a yowl of defiance, she launched herself at him, claws outstretched. Blow for blow she pushed the stocky tom backwards, but her relentless offense did little, and she was quickly losing her energy, and with it, her greatest advantage - speed.

The blaze of rage and pride in her opponent's eyes grew brighter as he took the offense, pressing her back. With agility that should have been impossible for a cat his size, the ShadowClan deputy rolled underneath her, pushing up with his hind legs and throwing her across the clearing. Silverstream landed in a heap, her limbs on fire, burning with pain, she tried to push herself up, but her paws gave out beneath her. The white pelted warrior who had thrown her only moments before loomed over her broken form. _This is the end._

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><p><em>Greystripe, I'm sorry I never got to tell you I love you again, or say goodbye. I know you'll take care of our kits. You're becoming a great deputy, and I know your loyalty is pure again. Maybe we were never meant to happen, just like they all told us. I'll never believe it truly, but I also know that you could find another. Maybe this time, she'll be right for you. Hopefully, your love won't cause a war. And hopefully, she'll be able to grow old with you, raise her kits beside you, and hopefully you'll be happy. That's all I ever wanted. Your happiness. Goodbye, my love. I will wait for you in StarClan.<em>


End file.
